NWSL Power Rankings: Week 21
In the last power rankings before Decision Day, only two teams have secured a postseason berth and eight teams are still trying to clinch a playoff spot. October 15 can't come soon enough.
Week 21
Portland Thorns (+1) - That was one heck of a rebound performance when they needed it. Mike Norris opted to start Olivia Moultrie in midfield and it paid off big time. Sam Coffey tallied her league leading eighth assist to Hina Sugita who finished with a perfectly pinpointed header to clinch a first round bye and allow Portland to control their own destiny for the NWSL Shield.
San Diego Wave (-1) - A draw on the road at North Carolina is a solid result. However, they continue to play on the back-foot in the majority of their games. Their 0.33 xG won’t get it done in the playoffs unless every bounce goes their way. For a team who has secured a first round bye, they have played like the underdog and not a favorite.
NJ/NY Gotham FC - This squad was on the verge of securing a first round bye, but have lost the past two games when it mattered most. Now, they are playing to clinch a playoff spot and a home game for the quarterfinals. Gotham waited until the last day and now have a chance to get it done at home against Kansas City.
OL Reign - In front of an NWSL record crowd of 34,130 on Megan Rapinoe Day, Seattle got a much needed point to hold on to the final playoff spot. Can they head on the road to Chicago and secure a playoff spot? Goals have been hard to come by all season and they need a few badly against the Red Stars.
North Carolina Courage - Thanks to a solid goal differential, they are can clinch a spot in the playoffs with at least a draw. Sean Nahas has done a phenomenal job with this team who have overachieved all season. They could still be eliminated with a loss against Washington Spirit and other teams winning their final games.
Angel City FC (+3) - With their season on the line, Becki Tweed and ACFC got a season saving win against Houston. This tweet summed it up best: “After 13 NWSL matches, 5 months, and 660 mins of without scoring… …Alyssa Thompson scores 90 seconds after coming off the bench for Angel City in Houston. Instant impact, massive goal.” Savannah McCaskill’s game winner to complete their comeback could be one of the biggest moments in their club’s history. They need to win at home in their finale against Portland who is playing for the NWSL shield to have any shot of being in the top 6.
Racing Louisville (+3) - That was the best win their club history. In order to save their season, they had to come back from two goals down at home to Orlando. If they can go on the road and upset San Diego Wave, they could find themselves in the postseason for the first time ever. If Kim Björkegren can’t get it done, should it be time to move on to the Bev Yanez era?
Washington Spirit (+1) - Huge result on the road to secure the draw at Lumen Field. With a bad goal differential, they will most likely need to win their final game against North Carolina Courage. Their inconsistency has been frustrating, but could still make a splash in playoffs if they can just qualify first.
Orlando Pride (-2) - That just can’t happen… You can’t blow a two goal lead and leave without a point. If Orlando does not make the playoffs, that will be the game everyone will point at as to why they failed to qualify for the postseason.
Houston Dash (-2) - Tough loss after holding a one goal lead for over 67 minutes. One has to wonder if the Dash waited too long to give the reigns to Sarah Lowdon this season. Houston still has an outside shot with an OL Reign loss and big win in their finale versus Orlando Pride.
Kansas City Current (+1) - Wow! What an offensive outburst. This was the team most were hoping to see in 2023. Going from the final of the NWSL Championship to out of the playoffs is hard to believe. With their new stadium opening up in 2024, it’s time for a big name to lead the team.
Chicago Red Stars (-1) - Allowing 6 goals against Kansas City is unacceptable. This team has a lot of needs, fixes, and reinforcements before they start the 2024 season.
*Key: Teams with (+ or -) moved up or down from last week’s rankings
Tier 1 - The Favorites: Portland, San Diego
Tier 2 - Dark Horses: Gotham, OL Reign, North Carolina,
Tier 3 - Playoff Chase: Angel City, Racing Louisville, Washington, Orlando
Tier 4 - Nope: Houston, Chicago, Kansas City
Yeah, I'm just honestly hoping some other team with better defense knocks out SD before we have to play them. Casey Stoney is probably the coach who knows above all how to exploit Norris' consistently poor defensive tactics, and I think we've struggled against SD because of that. In a pre(post?)-game chat with Stoney after they won up here a few weeks ago, she mentioned how one of her main goals was to exploit Portland's high fullbacks. Norris never adjusted, and his subs were horrendous. And if you think about the recent Reign and Gotham games that we won, our FB's were still getting high (maybe one hung back slightly), but neither Reign or Gotham even tried to capitalize on it- Gotham because Amoros doesn't play that way, and Reign because they are old and mostly slow. Yes, our defense has looked better and I credit that too, but I think their jobs were made easier because of the above, in those two games I mentioned.
Anyways...against AC? Well, I worry about that because they DO have fast wingers that they actually use (Thompson, Emslie, Camberros, and Endo just from memory...) and I don't see Norris changing anything now. There were times during Gotham when we only had Becky and Menges as a back two, and there would be a transition and Kuikka and/or Kling were never gonna make it back if Amoros would've just let Midge or Lynn run. We got pretty lucky, imo. Esp if Vignola is back for AC, they'll try to get vertical quickly, and Portland had struggled against those types of teams....I'm not overly worried, but I'm not NOT worried...
Had a very brief chat with Kozal and watched Marcel play with another very energetic non-Thorns baby for a while lol...and yes, I am going- Very nervous to enter BMO in 90 degrees (seriously, F LA) or whatever they call it these days. Hopefully they change it up from last year in Gotham.
Apparently they practiced this morning, but yeah...kinda surprised they didn’t leave yesterday too.